Many Over One
by InkwellOfTheMuses
Summary: Lucy's gone missing. The Team goes on a search and rescue, but when they hear about a blonde Celestial Spirit Wizard wrecking towns they take on the job of stopping said wizard. What do they find there and how can they help someone who doesn't want the help? How do you save a friend that won't even talk to you? Can Natsu really fight her? Three-shot.


**I. **

**AM.**

**SO.**

**SORRY.**

**I have been freaking out about posting for three weeks and now it's official. I disappeared for a month! I have missed you guys sooooo much! **

**I know what you're thinking. This isn't even the Glob. If you don't know what that is, it's my other story check it out! I have slacked so hard on that story. But, I have plenty of inspiration because of the new manga chapter, it was so kick ass. **

**I started this story. The climax scene is based off the episode Apprentice Part 2 from Teen Titans. I couldn't help myself NaLu. Anywho... I hope you guys love it and tell me what you think. I tried to focus on describing sequencesso you'd really get a picture in your head. **

**Enjoy**

**Disclaimer: I'm still waiting on Mashima, sent him some fan mail asking him to surrender all of Fairy Tail to me, only time will tell.**

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"Hey, Pyro!" Gray called to Natsu, "I've got a question for you." Gray approached the guild's bar, where Natsu and Mira had been talking.

Natsu turned his attention away from the barmaid, who went over to get another keg for Cana, to the smug ice wizard. Gray knew that pyro was one of Natsu's least favorite nicknames, "What do you want, Ice boy?" So, of course, Natsu had to reciprocate with one of Gray's least favorite nicknames, as well.  
Gray's smug grin dropped to a sour expression as memories of Sugarboy flooded his mind. Gray shook the pictures out of his head and refocused on Natsu, "I'm looking for Lucy. Do you know where she is?"  
Natsu shrugged and spun back around in his chair, "How am I supposed to know?"  
Gray sat in the barstool next to Natsu and propped his elbow on the edge of the counter. Gray eyed Natsu carefully, Natsu took another swig of his sake and shifted uncomfortably under his rival's gaze. Gray then flagged Mira down and ordered his own drink, "So," Gray began, again, after Mira walked away, "You're saying you don't know where she is?"  
Natsu glared at Gray, "What do you need her for?" Natsu leaned forward to make a point of staring at Gray.  
After a tense moment, Gray leaned back and threw his hands up, "Whatever, man, I was just looking for her since she wasn't at the guild yesterday. If you don't want to tell me where she is, fine."  
Natsu straightened back up, "She wasn't at the guild yesterday?"  
Now it was Gray's turn to squint at Natsu, "Yeah, or the day before that." Gray watched the fire wizards brows knit together, "So, you don't know where she is."  
Natsu relaxed suddenly, "Why would I?"  
Gray couldn't keep up with Natsu's different reactions, "You're with her often enough, I figured you would have talked to her."  
Natsu folded his arms and leaned back in the bar stool, "I just got back from a solo mission, this morning. Last time I saw Lucy was at her house, two mornings ago." He kicked his feet onto the bar, "She probably didn't stop by yesterday because she knew I wasn't going to be here."  
Gray laughed at the fact that Mira, not only having overheard his unusual cocky behavior but also not wanting his feet on her bar, shoved Natsu's legs off the counter, nearly causing him to fall out of his seat. Mira then set Gray's drink down in front of him with a smile before walking away. Gray took a sip of his drink and replied to Natsu, "That would make sense, except that I looked for her at her apartment and she wasn't there, either."  
"You went to her house and she wasn't there?" Natsu was still straightening himself out on the chair when he looked up at Gray with surprise coloring his face.  
"I've come to you, haven't I?" Gray rolled his eyes, "I wouldn't have asked you unless it was a last resort. I've looked everywhere else I could think of."  
Now Gray had Natsu's full attention, "I went to her house two days ago to tell her I wanted to take a solo mission. She said that was fine because she wasn't feeling good anyway. I left that night from the guild."  
"Why'd you take a solo mission?" Gray asked.  
Natsu scratched the back of his neck and looked away, "I don't have to explain myself to you, Freezerburn!" Natsu blushed realizing that denying to tell Gray why, made him seem even more guilty, "I knew she wasn't feeling good so I wanted to surprise her by making enough to cover the rest of her rent. She almost had enough, but I destroyed something, again the last time we went on a job together." Natsu looked down bashfully, "So, I made sure not to destroy anything this time."  
Gray looked on in slight astonishment. Whether it was because Natsu had managed not to destroy something or the fact that he had been so thoughtful for Lucy's sake, Gray didn't know, "So, you left her house that morning and you just got back this morning?"  
Natsu's shyness all but disappeared, "Yeah, and she said she was so sick she probably wasn't going to leave her house the whole time I was gone."  
Gray sat back and huffed, "Well, I went to her house twice, once in the morning and once at night, and she wasn't there, yesterday. Either she took a mission while you were gone or she's missing."  
The word missing sent off warning bells in Natsu's mind, "Did you check the bridge by the river? What about Acalypha? Did you go by her dad's old house?"  
"I figured when I didn't find her at her house, yesterday, that she just went with you on a mission. When you came back today I stopped by her house, again. She's still not there. I walked around Magnolia, but that's it." Gray could see that Natsu was about to go on one of his 'protect your nakama' rampages.  
Natsu stood up from the bar, "Let's go look for her, then!"  
Gray stood as well. He shoved his hands into his pockets and walked away from Natsu, "Who's us? Let me know when you find her." He called over his shoulder.  
"You're not going to help me look for her?" Natsu shouted.  
"She's probably just hanging out somewhere and doesn't want to be found. If she's not back in a couple days, that's when I'll get worried." Gray waved and exited the guild. If he was being honest, he was a bit worried about Lucy's sudden disappearance. He knew, though, that if Natsu was looking for her, she'd turn up soon enough.  
Natsu, on the other hand, set out in search of his partner, muttering 'stupid ice jerk' the whole way out of the guild. He only stopped to call Happy over to him, away from the company of Carla and Wendy.  
Happy flew over to Natsu and saluted him, "Where are we going, Natsu?"  
Natsu made his way out of the guild and took off into a sprint, "To find Lucy."  
Natsu retold Happy all the details of Lucy's disappearance. The two of them searched her house. There they found an open ink jar that was starting to dry up. Lucy never left her ink open to ruin, something was definitely wrong. Next they searched for her around Magnolia. They went to the bridge by her house and along the river. Natsu even convinced Happy that they should check South Gate Park, by the Sola tree. When that location turned up dry, Natsu decided to head out of Magnolia.  
He made for the Heartfilia Konzern. After a pitiful train ride with Happy, Natsu stood before the huge estate. The grounds looked so much different than before. They seemed overgrown and unkept, probably because no one was tending to them anymore. Well, that seemed to reign true for everywhere except for the rose garden. The rose garden was beautiful. Someone must have been keeping it up. He had his suspicions, of course. Every so often Lucy would disappear for the better half of the day. When she would return she had small nicks all over her hands. The tended bushes confirmed his suspicions, but she had never been gone so long before. Natsu searched everywhere. He looked in all the rooms, especially the library. He searched until he had seen every inch of the expansive mansion, but there was nothing to be found.  
Natsu left the grounds that evening, having turned up completely empty. There was only one last place for him to check. So, despite his protesting motion sickness and an equally disgruntled Happy, Natsu boarded a train to Acalypha. A second train ride did him no good and he was not looking forward to the final third one. The only thing that could brighten his day would be finding a certain blonde celestial spirit wizard. Natsu walked the distance from the train station to the cemetery. The dragon slayer's memory wasn't quite as keen as he thought so he couldn't remember where the graves were located. His enhanced sense of smell wouldn't help him here, either. Or so he thought. Happy reminded him that Lucy always put the same type of flowers by her parents graves. With the scent of magnolias, she always used them because she thought it was ironic, guiding Natsu, he happened upon her parent's graves.  
No one was there. The magnolias seemed to be at least a few weeks old. Lucy hadn't been there in awhile. Natsu cursed under his breath. Happy just sighed and rubbed his eyes with his balled up paws, "Can't we go home, now Natsu? We've been running around looking for Lucy all day. There's no where else to look and I'm tired. We can look again, tomorrow."  
"You're giving up on Lucy? She'd never give up on us! We're Fairy Tail, we take care of own, that includes finding them when they're lost!" Natsu took off towards the train station, but Happy was right. There was no where left he could think to look. Natsu had exhausted all the usual spots. How could he give up, though? It just wasn't in his nature, he didn't know how. He has spent more than 7 years looking for Igneel, he sure as hell wasn't going to give up on Lucy after one day!  
Happy caught up with Natsu and flew in front of him, blocking his path, "We've looked everywhere we can today. I'm not saying we give up on Lucy, but we're not sure she's even lost. Maybe, she just went on a mission while we were gone. If she's not back by tomorrow we can go looking for her, but tonight we both need some sleep." Happy's stomach rumbled, furthering his point, "And some fish. We haven't eaten all day!"  
Natsu grumbled and folded his arms, "Fine, we can go home." So, the silent train ride back to Magnolia began. When they got back and Natsu's stomach finally settled down, the two stopped for some dinner and made it back to their house a little while after it had gotten dark.  
"Goodnight, Natsu." Happy called as they each retired to their respective hammocks.  
Natsu just grunted. The poor fire wizard wouldn't be getting very much sleep tonight. He looked out the window at the stars, which made things worse. The stars reminded him of her. Where was Lucy?  
Natsu shut his eyes and when he opened them again the stars were no where to be seen. A strong, bright ray of sunshine was streaming into his bedroom and he threw his arm over his eyes. Soon after that he felt Happy jumping up and down on his chest. Natsu flipped over, but Happy just continued to jump on his back. One of Fairy Tail's strongest simply groaned at his impatient and overly energized feline, "Happy," he swatted at him, "go away!"  
"Fine, then we won't go look for Lucy!" Happy was as smug as he could manage.  
Natsu groaned once more before getting up to start the search. Of course, their first stop was the guild. Just as he had the day before, Natsu made his way to the bar, where he knew he'd find the all-knowing Mirajane, without stopping to talk to anyone first. He found Mira wiping down the countertop while nodding along to whatever it was that Makarov was babbling on about.  
Natsu tapped Mira's shoulder to fully get her attention, "Hey, Mira."  
"Good Morning, Natsu!" Mira smiled and paused from wiping the countertop. She seemed to be relieved of the interruption from Makarov's ramblings, "You're getting quite an early start today, aren't you?"  
Natsu grimaced, he wasn't the biggest fan of early mornings. He sat down in a bar stool with Happy taking a seat on the bar top next to him, "Lucy's missing and Natsu's overreacting, again," Happy, so helpfully, told Mira on Natsu's behalf.  
Natsu placed a hand firmly over Happy's mouth, "I was just wondering if she took a job while I was gone."  
Mira giggled at Natsu's defensiveness, but quickly sobered up when she realized she hadn't seen Lucy for the last couple of days, either, "She didn't clear it with me," Mira frowned, "and it wouldn't be like Lucy to leave without telling anyone." Mira furrowed her brow, "Have you checked her house?"  
Happy and Natsu both nodded in unison, "Gray was looking for her while we were gone. I've checked everywhere, but I can't find her."  
Makarov overheard the conversation and tsked at them, "Listen to you, Natsu," the master didn't shift his gaze from staring straight ahead, "You make it sound like she's been gone for weeks! It's only been a couple of days! There's no reason to get all worked up, my child."  
Natsu balled his fists and stood from his chair, "Come on, Gramps. This isn't like Lucy and you know it. She doesn't go places alone."  
Happy flew just above Natsu's shoulder, "Natsu's right, though. He might be overreacting like normal, but it is unusual behavior."  
Makarov just shrugged, "I'm sure she's fine. There's no reason to worry until a while longer has passed."  
Mira stood behind the master, seemingly a little doubtful. With her hand to her mouth she added, "Maybe we could just have Natsu and a few others look into it?"  
Natsu perked up at the idea, "Yeah," he interjected, "Just let me go look for her. I'll ask around Magnolia or something."  
Happy started to get concerned with the ideas floating in his head, "Me too! What if she's in trouble? She'll need us!"  
"You're aggravating me, boy! You're the friend of a wizard, aren't you?" Makarov shifted and closed his eyes, "Lucy is a member of Fairy Tail, she can take care of herself. We have no one here that can't take care of themselves. If I've told you kids once, I've told you a hundred times."  
Mira sighed before walking away to serve other members of the guild. Natsu, on the other hand, would not be so easily persuaded to give up, "You said the same thing about Macao! If we hadn't gone looking for him, he would have never come back!" Natsu lit his hands in flames and spread his feet into a fighting stance, "Let me go look for Lucy! I can't just stand around knowing that one of my friends could be in danger and I'm standing around doing nothing about it!"  
Happy pumped a fist into the air, "Aye, Sir!" he encouraged, "We're going to go look for Lucy!" By this time the trio had gained the attention of many guild members and garnered quite a few confused stares.  
Makarov growled under his breath, tightening his grip on his staff, "Do you not trust Lucy's abilities? Do you not trust that she can take care of herself and bring herself back home? She's much more capable than you think, Natsu. Let her prove it. She's a Fairy Tail wizard, let her prove herself without you coming to her rescue! I treat none of my children differently. I give the same respect and faith to Lucy that I did to Macao. I can't control you, Natsu, we all know that, but just think of how Lucy will feel."  
Natsu ground his teeth and yelled in frustration, "I'm not just going to sit around here and twiddle my thumbs like some old man! I'm going to find my comrades and protect them, even if they don't want to be saved. I won't leave my family alone to get hurt!" Natsu ran out of the guild with Happy flying close behind him. Natsu growled once more before whispering, "I won't let her disappear."  
Makarov huffed and relaxed his rigid body language. He rubbed his forehead as Mira came up behind him, "I know what you're going to say, my child, but I don't want to hear it."  
Mira nodded and huffed, "I have the highest respect for you, Master. You know that. I always have faith that whatever decision you make, you make it for the good of everyone in the guild. But, this decision? I just don't understand, Master."  
Makarov jumped off the bar and made to walk to his office, "I'm glad you don't have to, Mira."  
The rest of the guild respectfully turned their heads back to their own conversations, although many were abandoned in favor of this new piece of gossip. A few select wizards in particular, were affected by this new development and they made their exit of the guild together.  
"Natsu!" Gray called to his rival, jogging to catch up to him and his Exceed, "Slow down, will you! Let us catch up, Flame Brain!"  
"What do you want, Ice Freak?" Natsu called back, pushing just a bit harder.  
"Natsu!" called Erza's very authoritative voice, "If you don't slow down this instant!"  
"We just want to talk to you!" added Wendy's slightly winded, yet always kind, voice.  
Natsu swung around and stopped, "You guys can't stop me from looking for Lucy!"  
Happy landed next to Natsu's feet, "Aye! We're going to find her! You go ahead, Natsu! I can hold them off!"  
Gray pick Happy up off of his feet and held him at a distance so that his swinging fists were just short of making contact. Carla flew up next to him, "Tomcat, please! Calm down! You needn't be so brash!"  
"We're not here to stop you!" Wendy wobbled trying to keep her balance, but struggling due to the quick halt, "We want to come with you!"  
"There's no way I'm going to let you guys sto- wait, what?" Natsu extinguished the flames engulfing his fists, "You wanna come with me?"  
Gray tsked and rolled his eyes, setting the, now calm, Happy down, "If you'd cool down for a second you'd realize we want to help you. We want to look for Lucy, too, Hot Head!"  
Erza was the last to join the group, but she didn't seem the least bit affected by the running, "We overheard the conversation you had with the Master. While we don't always agree with his words, we must respect him. That doesn't mean we have to listen to him, though. If the Master truly didn't want any of us going in search of Lucy he would have forbade it. Makarov didn't tell any of us we couldn't look for her, just that we shouldn't," Erza's eyes glazed over and she placed her hand over her heart, "As Master, Makarov needs to do and say certain things to maintain his authority and convey certain things to the guild. What he says and what he has us do often seem to contradict even though, when you think about it, he was always leading us down the correct path." She sniffled, "Beautiful."  
The other members of the group looked at her dumbfounded. Natsu was the first to recover, "Does that mean we're going to look for Lucy, now?"  
Erza's pride deflated and she grumbled, "Yes, but where do you suggest we look?"  
And so Team Natsu; sans Lucy, of course, went in search of their missing comrade. Natsu and company retraced many of his steps. They tried numerous places, but many came up dry. Her house, her favorite bookstore, and restaurants they had previously eaten at had all come up empty. Soon enough they were asking around to see if anyone could recall a blonde chesty girl with possibly a snowman dog or perhaps a large cow come through. After a barrage of strange looks and dead ends, the group of Fairy Tail wizards; even Natsu, after Erza's special brand of convincing, returned to the guild.  
Many of it's members asked where Lucy was and what they had learned from all there searching. Fairy Tail's strongest team, regrettably and exceedingly frustrated, responded that they had nothing to report.  
Levy, surprisingly not with Jet and Droy, approached the group seated at one of the booths in the guild, "Did you find Lucy, yet?" The cradled Pantherlily in her arms surveyed the depressed group and feared the worst.  
Natsu climbed up onto the table from his seat on the booth, "I'm not done, yet! I'm going back out to look some more!"  
Erza took Natsu's shoulder and slammed him back down into his seat, "We've searched everywhere, Natsu. Even if we were to keep searching, where would we go?"  
Happy slouched in defeat, "Aye," he agreed, sadly, "Erza's right, we should give up for tonight, Natsu."  
Natsu huffed in frustration and nearly pulled out his hair, "Whose side are you on?" he shouted, "I don't know what giving up means! Lucy'd never give up on us, we can't give up on her!"  
Levy felt bad for having asked, but she was starting to get worried, too, "Can I help you look?" She absent-mindedly pet Pantherlily's head to comfort them both.  
Carla crossed her arms and fixed a stern gaze on Natsu, "You can't just stubbornly run around Magnolia like a chicken with it's head cut off! You have to take a break to rest or you're no good to Lucy anyway!"  
Wendy yawned and put her head down onto the table, "Please don't worry, Natsu. We'll find Lucy, I'm sure of it."  
"Not if we just sit around here." Natsu grumbled.  
"Did you check the bookstores? What about the one in Acalypha?" Levy tried to aid Natsu.  
Happy cheered up a bit, "We haven't checked there, yet."  
Pantherlily found his opening, "Gajeel is a wonderful tracker, he may aid in your endeavour to search Acalypha."  
"Even so, there's nothing more we can do tonight anyway. The next train that's leaving Magnolia doesn't run until morning. Get some sleep and we'll start looking, again, tomorrow." Gray tried to reason with him.  
"I'm not taking advice from someone who can't even keep his clothes on!" Natsu shouted. Gray cursed and clothed himself while Natsu cringed at Erza's raised arm and Wendy tried to contain her blush.  
Erza put her arm back down, she knew Natsu was just worried. His hero complex didn't do well with being helpless. He must also constantly feel like he's looking for somebody, "As soon as it's light out we can head to Acalypha and ask around there. Lucy is a very strong girl, I'm sure she's just out trying to find a book. I demand that we all rest well tonight and meet back here in the morning."  
Makarov appeared before the table and slammed his staff to the ground to catch their attention, "Listen, my children, I have some news."  
"Master," Erza breathed, "I didn't realize you were there. Have you heard something?"  
Makarov didn't take his eyes off of the ground in front of him. He let out a laborious sigh, "Unfortunately, I have," he lifted his gaze to Natsu, "I'm sorry for earlier, my boy. I know how you must have felt. While I do believe that Lucy can handle herself that wasn't the reason I didn't want you to go digging into this quite yet." He hopped onto the table and sat cross legged at the edge of it, "I needed a little time to check up on a rumor I heard."  
"What did you hear, Master?" Wendy inquired.  
"Well, it's not a matter of what I heard anymore," he leaned his head against his staff, "My source just confirmed it. I can tell you it's true."  
"Well?!" Natsu shouted impatiently, "Spit it out, Gramps!"  
"Does it have to do with Lu?" Levy sat down next to Gray and set Pantherlily next to Carla. She leaned forward in anticipation.  
"I regret to tell you that there are reports from Oak, Oshibana, and Freesia Towns being attacked today. Many of Oak Town's historical sights were hit while Oshibana and Freesia were raided as well."  
"You're losing us, old man," Gray motioned for him to get to the point.  
"I'm sorry, Master," Erza added, "What does that have to do with finding Lucy?"  
Carla walked up to Makarov, "You're not saying-"  
Pantherlily sat crossed legged, in a form of comfort, as well, "That is the Master's reason for his earlier behavior. Gajeel was right."  
Gray scratched the back of his head, "How do the cats get it 'cause I'm still lost."  
Happy smiled, but the defeated look in his eyes told the truth, "I don't understand, either. I'm always lost."  
Wendy made the same face, "Don't feel bad, Happy. I feel the same way."  
Gray leaned back, "Someone explain, please?"  
Levy balled her fists in her lap. She shut her eyes tight, "Don't you dare insinuate that. Lu, would never. Don't talk about her like that while she's not here."  
Pantherlily placed a paw on Levy's shoulder. Happy looked down sadly and Gray looked away from the group, suddenly the pillar was really interesting. A shadow cast itself over Erza's eyes and Carla and Wendy gave each other a knowing glance. Everyone except for Natsu was slowly accepting what Makarov was going to say. Natsu had to hear it in plain english, "What the heck are you guys talking about? What do some stupid robberies have to do with Lucy. Focus guys! We've got to find her."  
Makarov pointed his staff at the rising from his seat Natsu, "Sit down and listen well, boy. The reports all have one thing in common. They tell of a young girl. She's fearless and cruel. She steals without mercy and takes down her opponents without hesitation."  
Happy teared up, "That's not her…"  
Makarov tenses, waiting for Natsu to accept what he was trying to tell him, "Oshibana had to deal with a large cow. Oak Town dealt with a crab. Freesia had to deal with a boy that seemed to have a lion's mane." Makarov heard the gasp from Natsu and Levy held back a sob, "Every single witness report describes her as blonde and busty. A fearsome Celestial Spirit Wizard that appeared yesterday. I didn't want you looking for her or hear about this before I had the chance to confirm it."  
Levy snapped, she hit the table and let her tears fall freely. She screamed at Makarov, "Don't say that! Nothing's confirmed! Lu would never do something like that! We all know her, she could never hurt someone for no reason like that! You said that she was cruel and merciless, that's not Lucy!"  
Carla lifted her nose to the air, "Of course it's her. What other blonde, chesty, Celestial Spirit wizard with a large cow, crab, and teenage boy, do you know? She's obviously spent too much time with the destructive hooligans of this guild."  
Gray growled under his breath and Wendy looked from Carla to the shocked face of Happy and then rested her gaze on Natsu. Natsu had a confused and at ease look on his face, "What are you guys talkin' about?" He slouched, "When are we going to talk about saving Lucy?"  
Erza's downcast gaze reflected her heavy voice, "Natsu," she grit her teeth, "Lucy is the criminal attacking the other towns. Get it through your head, she doesn't need saving!"  
Natsu just turned his head away from her gaze, still pouting. Gray seemed to be furious with these actions, "Are you really that dense?! You realize it's going to be our job to take her down, right? How the hell are you so calm about this?"  
Natsu didn't even react. Makarov chuckled a little sadistically, "He doesn't believe us. He's fine with going to fight because he fully expects the culprit to be someone else. Despite that, dealing with this person has been officially posted to the guild as a job. I fully expect this team to resolve this issue." Makarov released the tension in his creaky joints and stood. "Erza, Gray, Natsu, and Wendy, you are the team I am sending."  
Levy jumped up, "I'm going, too. I'm not going to let anything happen to my best friend!"  
"You are not," Makarov's booming voice startled all of them, "I have something else I need you to do tomorrow." Makarov could barely stand the haunting sadness and hurt in Levy's eyes. An image of Lisanna's trusting face, with her arms open wide, flashed in Makarov's mind. He stood firm in his decision. Levy would trust Lucy blindly and Lucy would hurt her, "I will see you in my office first thing tomorrow," He hopped off the table, one last pitiful gaze resting on Natsu, "Bring her home, my boy."  
Natsu frowned and looked at Gramps, "I will." He stated firmly, "But, first I have to go take care of that chick ruining Lucy's good name."  
"I hope you're right this time, Natsu." Makarov shook his head and leaned back to crack his weary old bones, "Good luck, brats! Get enough sleep now, ya hear me?" He waved at the group and smiled goodbye as he walked towards the back of the guild, presumably to inform Mira of the acception of the job request.  
Wendy shook slightly, "I don't think I can fight. Not against Lucy."  
"Don't be foolish." Carla stood before Wendy, paws on her hips, "Of course you can. She isn't much stronger than you are. Besides, you're a dragon slayer for goodness' sake." Pantherlily put a hand on Carla's shoulder, telling her to back off.  
Wendy teared up, "That's not why I'm scared."  
Levy shook with anger, "You shouldn't be scared, Lucy would never do this."  
Happy looked up from his seated position on the table, "You guys are really going to go and fight Lucy?" came his small, frail voice, "She could get hurt."  
Gray got up from the table and turned to face away from them, "Tomorrow morning we'll go and find her. She'll come to her senses. We won't have to fight her. She better be ready for Master's punishment, though. You know the magic council will have a field day with this one."  
Erza stood as well, "I hope you're right, Gray, but we have direct orders. Should Lucy not cooperate," she hesitated, "we fight."  
It was Natsu to push past all of them. He had his hands on the back of his head with a smile on his face, "I don't know what you guys are so freaked about. It's not Lucy. She's still missing. As soon as this job is over we just have to get back to looking for her. Come on, Happy."  
Happy flew after his master. Natsu's positivity and faith had a calming affect on him, even though he knew Natsu was wrong, "Aye, sir. All we have to do is beat this girl so we can find Lucy."  
"You got it, buddy!" were the last words everybody heard from Natsu as he and Happy exited the guild.  
Gray let out a deep breath and scratched the back of his head, "This isn't going to be easy for him, is it?" Levy, Wendy, Pantherlily, and Carla all shook their heads in sympathy.  
Pantherlily stared at the door, "I'm afraid it won't be easy for any of you."  
"It has to be. Even though she is dear to us, if she has strayed from the path then defeating her is the best thing we can do for her. As her friends we owe her that much," her harsh piece of wisdom being said, Erza left the guild as well.  
Wendy lifted her head and wiped her tears, "Erza's right, if we beat Lucy that just means we can bring her home. It'll be tough fighting her, but if it's for her own good we have to do it, right?"  
"You got it, Wendy. Just stay positive, okay?" Gray threw an arm around her shoulders and they walked out of the guild with Carla pulling his arm off of her, "Who knows? Maybe Ash for Brains is right and this chick just seems like Lucy."  
Levy was the only one left sitting at the table. She had her hands balled into fists, digging into her lap and her head tilted down. Pantherlily was worried so he lifted her face, only to reveal tears. He jumped back with sweat beading on his forehead, "Don't worry, whatever task the master has prepared for you, Gajeel and I will be happy to be of assistance."  
Levy pulled a few papers out of her bag, "Lu," she cried, "What were you trying to tell me?" The papers had arrived on her doorstep a day prior. They were from Lucy. It was a story about a hero going bad. It ended with the hero's friends taking her down. For the good of many over one. Levy's tears continued to stream down her cheeks.

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**Alright so tell me what you thought and I hope to update soon! Give me any predictions or anything that came to mind while you were reading. This will be a three-shot. **

**Review?**

**-Inkwell**


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